I've been lurking this forum for a little while now. I'm considering moving my family to PEI. The cost of living is so high here that we feel we are being squeezed out by the baby boomers. The reasons we think PEI is suitable is because:
- Cost of living is low
- Public Education is better
- Health care there can't be worse than here
- Jobs can be found (Computer Specialist and Certified Teacher)
- Nice property choices under 100K (similar here is 250k)
- Neighborly Neighbors. Community
- Tons of things to do.
- Real winters (7 months of winter or 7 months of rain)
- Politically a majority of Left/Libralists

I would be concerned over the job situation and the health care! Maybe either your wife or yourself should see if one of you guys can get a job here first then move the family! I would go with the teacher jobs first there seem to be an abundance of "computer specialist" all over canada!
As for the health care I think I am right in saying "major illness major travel!"
If you have the money to buy a house cash on the island that is a major savings! You might want to go to the www.mls.ca and the www.peirea.com to see what you are getting for your bucks! There are other realestate website that are not linked to the peirea site! I have choosen three realesate agents that were either recommended to me or that I have found, one from each county. Good luck!

The Real Estate is the main reason we are looking at PEI. There is no way we could buy a 12 acre farm in BC. But we do have enough equity in our place to buy 75% of property on PEI. That leaves us with a tiny mortage. A nice safe place to raise our kids is what we want, and we can't do that on one income in BC.

As for the employment, I'm not to concerned. If this is the best thing for my kids I'll shovel sh:roll:t to make it work.

Health Care, we are all healthy. I think HC in Canada is lacking everywhere, we have our problems out west here too.

I will look for work, definately before I come out. I'm setting up a website right now. How common is this 48 hour Work week? I was suprised to see the labour differences between BC and PEI. That's not scaring me off though.

The Real Estate is the main reason we are looking at PEI. There is no way we could buy a 12 acre farm in BC. But we do have enough equity in our place to buy 75% of property on PEI. That leaves us with a tiny mortage. A nice safe place to raise our kids is what we want, and we can't do that on one income in BC.

As for the employment, I'm not to concerned. If this is the best thing for my kids I'll shovel sh:roll:t to make it work.

Health Care, we are all healthy. I think HC in Canada is lacking everywhere, we have our problems out west here too.

I will look for work, definately before I come out. I'm setting up a website right now. How common is this 48 hour Work week? I was suprised to see the labour differences between BC and PEI. That's not scaring me off though.

Thanks

How about rural BC? Where do you live anyway, Downtown East Van?

The Island is littered with PFA's who want to come down here to show us simple folk how to live and how undervalued our real estate is, compared to everywhere else in the civilized world. I've got some lovely swamp land up west, a bargain at $8k an acre, I'll buy it back for $500 an acre in about 4 years when your children refuse to wear Anne pig tails for the tourists and want to move away...

Keep shoveling, this ain't nirvana...

Last edited by Calico Cat on July 26th, 2004, 8:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The Real Estate is the main reason we are looking at PEI. There is no way we could buy a 12 acre farm in BC. But we do have enough equity in our place to buy 75% of property on PEI. That leaves us with a tiny mortage. A nice safe place to raise our kids is what we want, and we can't do that on one income in BC.

As for the employment, I'm not to concerned. If this is the best thing for my kids I'll shovel sh:roll:t to make it work.

Health Care, we are all healthy. I think HC in Canada is lacking everywhere, we have our problems out west here too.

I will look for work, definately before I come out. I'm setting up a website right now. How common is this 48 hour Work week? I was suprised to see the labour differences between BC and PEI. That's not scaring me off though.

Thanks

How about rural BC? Where do you live anyway, Dowtown East Van?

The Island is littered with PFA's who want to come down here to show us simple folk how to live and how undervalued our real estate is, compared to everywhere else in the civilized world. I've got some lovely swamp land up west, a bargain at $8k an acre, I'll buy it back for $500 an acre in about 4 years when your children refuse to wear Anne pig tails for the tourists and want to move away...

If you are asking whats broken here, here's a list:- Crime and Poverty are sky high- Cost of living is high- Real Estate Market is unrealistic www.mls.ca- Public Education is broken. 35 kids per class. No funding.- Health care has problems. No beds, Emergency services are scrambling- Biker Gang, and Gangs in general are very evident- Walmarts, Home Depot's, Costcos, Starbucks. Killing Ma & Pa Shops- Community is non-existant- 6 Pack of beer $12

Basically, I'm not comfortable raising my kids here. I grew up here and I've worked hard to establish a beautiful and simple life. But I cannot afford it. My $50k /year and my wife's $10k adds up to debt and very little show for it.

When I saw the real estate prices I was attracted to PEI. Moving there would allow me to stay close to the ocean. I can show my kids how to garden. I can let them enjoy school in uncrowded classroom. We can explore new lands and learn new things. Winter versus rain.

I'm coming.... what are the challanges?

Calico Cat wrote:

I've got some lovely swamp land up west, a bargain at $8k an acre, I'll buy it back for $500 an acre in about 4 years when your children refuse to wear Anne pig tails for the tourists and want to move away...

From what I've seen on MLS I think I prefer the East part of the island. Thanks anyway.

I don't know a whole lot about real estate.. I know that there's always lots in the real estate guide, but nothing I'd ever be able to afford...

Billy_B wrote:

- Public Education is broken. 35 kids per class. No funding.

This is pretty much the same.. I had 35-40 students in each of my classes when I was in high school... my bro, who's 6 years younger than me, never had homework because there wasn't enough textbooks for each kid to take one home..

Again.. this is the same... I have a chronic illness.. most of last year I was making trips to Halifax every 6 weeks... I now go every 6 months.. I see someone every 3 months, but they come here every 6 months, so those of us who live here don't have to make the trip.

Billy_B wrote:

- Biker Gang, and Gangs in general are very evident

We don't see a whole lot of these... at least, not yet..

Billy_B wrote:

- Walmarts, Home Depot's, Costcos, Starbucks. Killing Ma & Pa Shops

Again.. we've got all those except for Costcos... but it's the same idea..

Billy_B wrote:

- Community is non-existant

This is definately not a problem, which is evident in this website..

Billy_B wrote:

- 6 Pack of beer $12

I don't buy beer, but something tells me that a 12 pack is around 15 bucks...

This Island isn't perfect, but it might be a little better than where you are... I like it well enough... lived here for 15 of my 26 years... Like I said at the beginning, I might get blasted for this post.. but it's just my observations... you might see things differently once you get here...

As Rikimae has mentioned, if you are looking for relief from all those items, then you are coming to the wrong place. And then there are a few problems here that would be new to you as well.

While some of the things you mention may not be as bad here as where you are, a couple of them are likely worse here ... public education and medical care.

We have the same classroom crowding but it is most likely that you have a much better quality of teaching in your schools. High school graduates here have to take literacy tests when they apply to off-Island universities

Medical care has problems all across Canada, but like education at least you very likely have a much better set of doctors where you are. With a very few exceptions, we seem to get all doctors who graduated at the bottom of their medical class (and a few that you wonder if they really graduated at all).

Not trying to discourage you ... just want to make sure that your eyes are wide open.

If you are looking for a great place to raise a family I believe you will like it here. Where do you plan on moving?
I use to live in Comox/Courtenay and absolutely loved it.
Teachers and Computer Specialist have a hard time finding work on PEI. If you do get work, you will find your income probably at 50-60% of what you are accustomed to.

You will not find any cosmopolitan areas in the martimes like you have in Vic and Van, but I believe you cant go wrong if your family comes first.

Don't usually like to get involved in this kind of post because PEI is not for everyone but for me it is the only place to live. Sure we have problems here but so does everyone but I am willing to bet the problems are less and not as severe as most places. There is only one place rumored to have no problems (HEAVEN) and I am not to sure there is even such a place, but that is another story.
I have more health problems that the average village needs but I do not discuss it here or anywhere else for the reason 85% of people don't really give a sh77 and the other 15% don't like me and would be glad I have problems. I think our health system is not all that bad but I guess either I have been lucky or I have not made impossible demands on it. Here is an example, 3 years ago I found out on a Wed. I had a heart problem, on Mon. I was in an ambulance on my way to St John N.B. had tests done on Tue, found the problem and on Fri I had a quad bypass.
If I have had a problem I have never had a problem with treatment but again you have to be realistic in your demands as you are not the only sick person on PEI and believe it or not someone else might just need treatment more than you do.
I guess the tone of this post just PO'd me by all the experts who are making comments on our fair Island of the posters 2 are islanders by choice and the third one is in the process of moving here.
Maybe you are right Kreskin and all our Dr's are bottow of class and us native islanders don't really know the difference as we have always lived here. Lanc if you think you or anyone else can learn all about PEI from a computer I must give my head a shake.
Well Billy_B what I guess what I am trying to say is if you do move here I hope it is all you want and more and your family have a long and happy life on our fair Isle. Just remember we all have different needs and wants. Like a wise man told me one time: "if everyone liked what I like you would all be chasing my squaw."

_________________All you people who don't like my opinion please note the sprig of mistletoe attached to my shirt tail.

I guess the tone of this post just PO'd me by all the experts who are making comments on our fair Island of the posters 2 are islanders by choice and the third one is in the process of moving here.

Champ, it is probably the fact that we are Islanders by choice that gives us the knowledge - or at least the personal experience - to be able to make those comments because we are in a position to be able to compare what we have experienced elsewhere and what we have experienced here.

As I told Billy_B, I was not trying to discourage him, just advising him to not expect PEI to be the heaven that he seems to think it is and that all the items on his list won't disappear by moving here.

I'm glad that your experience with the medical system here was good. I've had a few good experiences also, but in the last 16 months I've been witness to some incredible incompetence and uncaring attitudes by several medical practitioners. We are trying to let the "system" handle our complaints right now, but we are on the verge of going to the media. Maybe if I hadn't been reminded, and my wife experience for the first time, what a real hospital (Saint John Regional) staffed with skilled and caring doctors is like, we would have just accepted the situations that we have encountered over the last 16 months without question ... the same way that Islanders who are unaware of the differences would.

All in all, PEI is a pretty decent place to live and raise a family. It just isn't a nirvana without the problems that Billy_B lists.

I guess the tone of this post just PO'd me by all the experts who are making comments on our fair Island of the posters 2 are islanders by choice and the third one is in the process of moving here.

By the way Billy_B ... get used to this sort of thing if you move here. This is the usual reaction that PFA's (Persons From Away) get from "true" Islanders whenever they comment less than totally favourably on some aspect about the Island

I think you had better talk with our parents and grand-parents. They were the ones who told us that if you ever want to make anything of yourself you had better leave, ... If you ever want tomake good money, .... leave, ... If you want a decentlife leave, ....

Maybe that's why there's very little here for our kids. So it makes me wonder how your kids will do.

Hey! maybe being from away they wouldn't be poisened by the beliefs and actually help build our little island! .... Wouldn't that be great? .... You know, instead of chasing them off to build the rest of the country.

I think you had better talk with our parents and grand-parents. They were the ones who told us that if you ever want to make anything of yourself you had better leave, ... If you ever want tomake good money, .... leave, ... If you want a decentlife leave, ....

Sometimes leaving is necessary in order to find an outlet for your particular aptitudes and/or talents. For instance, Brad Richards couldn't play for an NHL team on PEI, could he?

Well, it's unfortunate to hear about the problems of PEI. Believe me I understand that things are what you make of it, and if you can't find happiness where you are, you are going to have a hard time finding it anywhere else.

That said, I am happy on this Island. Really I am, I shouldn't complain. We are looking to move for several other reasons too. One is change, we want to explore Canada, we are explorers and are looking forward to exploring the East coast. We've pretty much explored every inch of this Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, the ferry system is not friendly on the pocket book.

So rather than grow old and senitary, we are uprooting ourselves, challenging. Life is what you make it. Try, Try, Try, If you don't succeed change something. So that's what we are going to do.

About public education. The 35 students I meant was for Primary grades. What is the class size for the early grades. Fortunately, my wife is a teacher and home schooling is not out of the question.

My daughter just finished grade 2 at Spring Park and she had 20 in her class. She is in french immersion though, not sure if english classes are bigger, but where Emma goes to school, there is only one grade one english class and three grade one french immersion classes (or there was last year)

Depends where u move I think....But as a life long Islander, born here in 74. I do love it here, and love raising my family here as well.

It varies from year to year, from school board to school board, from school to school. PEI is one of only two provinces (NS, the other) that do not have legislated guidelines about class size in the schools. So class room size depends upon the whims of the provincial government in each annual budget.

One of the campaign promises that the PC government made in the last election was to work towards getting classroom sizes under 25 over a 5 year period and to legislate class size regulations. A year later, still no visible action on those fronts.

I've always loved BC -- but my BC friends will readily admit that an important part of being a British Columbian is being nuts (just look at the politics). British Columbians are generally certifiable (must be all the good bud out there) -- and Billy, if you are serious about moving to PEI for the sake of your children then you are about the craziest British Columbian I've ever encountered.

PE Islanders just love telling themselves "it's a wonderful place to raise children."

bulls**t.

As Kreskin has pointed out, PEI has a shamefully bad public education system, and the reason for this is that Islanders -- both politicians and ordinary citizens -- just don't seem to care very much whether or not their kids learn to read and write.

As for the "friendliness" aspect, the PEI govt commissioned a study entitled "A Place to Stay?" a few years ago, to examine why more people aren't choosing to make PEI their home. They noted that newcomers usually find the "neighbourly" facade about a mile wide and an inch thick. Most of the people I know who've come from away find that Island society can be very insular. In a lot of smaller communities, families have been feuding over all sorts of trivial bulls**t for generations. And there's an excellent chance that you and your family will be outsiders forever.

If you're a visible minority, you'd be better off living somewhere else. PEI legislators have made some astoundingly racist remarks about immigrants over the past few years, and I've been stunned to see these idiots lauded by many Islanders for doing so.

Single women just go nuts here, because they can't find anybody decent to go out with. (Now if you were a single, decent guy -- moving to PEI would be kind of like the Taliban version of martyrs' heaven. Excellent babe paradise.)

If your children are girls, for God's sake don't sentence the poor kids to life on PEI! Seriously, it will probably ruin their lives. It seems everybody I know with teenaged daughters has had to endure the nightmare of watching their girls start dating some bigoted, violent, drunk-driving lout, because most of the lads with any sense have moved away to the mainland.

Teachers' salaries are very low on the Island, and you and your spouse will quickly find that many of the choice jobs, especially in govt, are dispensed through naked patronage and nepotism.

This may sound very negative. I know loads of people who've carved out a great life for themselves on PEI, and there are plenty of terrific people on the Island. But public life is, frankly, a disgrace. And Islanders can't seem to see anything wrong with the picture. What the hell can you say about a society that doesn't care about teaching its children to read and write?